Let's hear it for the testy and dejected!

Or, OK, truth be told, its the REjected and not DEjected I am rooting for today.

See, you work hard, you write a book. You send it to publishers for months or years asking them to like it. You get so many demoralizing rejection letters, while your very-patient friends reassure you that even J.K. Rowling got rejected dozens of times.

Finally one amazing, wonderful publisher does like your book, and even publishes it! And the elation fills you with a fever pitch to keep writing, and keep going, and you write another book and then...

... start another round of rejection letters. I got my latest this yesterday, on a day I was already home sick with a cold.

And I am a "professional" writer. I KNOW form letters saying "thank you for sharing... not for us" are not a reflection of my talent or lackthereof. Furthermore, I work in marketing! I 100% know that there is a vast difference between "good" and "marketable" in the type of fiction I write.

But it still makes me sad.

So, I think we should all do something nice for the writers out there, just in case anyone is having a day like me and is feeling a little dejected.

What's that you say? A contest?

Yes! Of my normal ilk! Go to Amazon, find a book you like that was self-published, or written by a first time writer, or published by a small press, and leave a review about how much you liked it. You will make some author's day, for sure....

... and then come back here, leave a link to the book, and you're in the contest. One winner will get a $20 Amazon giftcard. I'll announce a winner by 1/31.

If you would like some independant or small press publications to consider, think about maybe:

• Twisted Velvet Chains by Jessica Bell, amazing poetry by an up and coming star. Its available for Kindle for only .99, or paperback as well.
• The War Master's Daughter by Elly Zupko, strong and engrossing historical fiction. On Kindle for only $2.99, or available on Paperback as well.
• String Bridge by Jessica Bell, which also just rocked my world
• of (of course) Max and Menna or Listening In, bother available on Kindle for $3.99 and $1.99 respectively. Max and Menna is also in paperback and hardcover, and Listening In will be available in paperback soon.

Come on, make someone's day... and maybe win a prize as well :)

On Being Rejected and Loving Baltimore

Two concepts recently converged for me, reminding me of why I call Baltimore home!

Concept 1: I have to live somewhere diverse. I love places with lots of types of things to do and people from all different backgrounds and situations. These things breed possibility, and sometimes dissonance, and such things are fodder for the writer in me. Because of this, I love, love Baltimore.

Concept 2: I don't handle rejection well. Seriously, I don't. Innevitably after every rejection letter I receive, I spend at least a day convinced that I have absolutely no talent and should quit trying to be a writer. And the annoying thing is that I KNOW rejection is part of being a writer (and I do talk myself out of it), and I know I shouldn't get so upset, but I do.

These concepts converged on Tuesday night when I came home from a bad day at work to find a rejection letter. And the worst kind-- the kind I waited six weeks for and thought I had a real shot at. I commenced  my normal post-rejection letter freak out, which led to a trip to the grocery store for a post-rejection Berger Cookie.

If you're not from Baltimore, you may not know what a Berger cookie is, so let me enlighten you. This is a Berger cookie. It's like a cakey-cookie and fudge had a baby and their sweet baby helps get me out of a funk every now and again.

While in line to buy my Berger cookies, I noticed that behind me were two tall, muscular men in their mid-forties. They began discussing a friend's recent arrest, referring not only several bail bondsmen but also several guards at central booking by name. Following this, one man picks up a magazine about the upcoming wedding of Brad Pitt and Angelina Joley. He looks at his friend and says "Damn, it is about time he marries that woman."

The other man agrees, adding "And that mofo better $*)#( wear Armani to his #(%)#( wedding."

And I couldn't help but smile, inwardly thanking my city for always providing me with something random to make me laugh.

I immediately came home and began writing. I love you Baltimore!